​The liturgical year is the annual cycle of feasts and celebration the Church commemorates during its public worship – the Mass and the Divine Office. Through the course of the year, the mystery of salvation and the course of salvation history is traced as we move through the mysteries of Christ’s life and remember events in the life of Mary and the saints.

Originally, the early Church did not think in terms of an entire year, but rather continued the Jewish practice of viewing each week as a self-contained unit. During this week, Sunday was set aside as the Lord’s Day, replacing the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday. Fridays were designated as days of penance and sacrifice in memory of Jesus’s sacrifice on Good Friday. Eventually, Wednesdays were also designated as a day of penance. By the 10th century, Saturday had been set aside as a day to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary.

﻿Why does the Christmas season end on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord?In the early centuries, the birth of Christ didn’t have its own feast. It was part of a great feast on January 6 called “Epiphany” which celebrated several “manifestations” of Christ – his birth, his recognition by the Magi, his baptism in the Jordan, and his miracle at Cana.In about the fourth century, Christians in the western world pulled Christmas out of the Epiphany celebration and gave it a feast of its own on December 25. The time between this new feast on December 15, and the feast on January 6 became the Christmas season – the “12 days of Christmas.”But the Christmas season no longer ends on January 6. That’s because eventually, some parts of the Church made the feast of Epiphany more solemn by adding an “octave” – an extension of the celebration for a week after the feast.When this happened, the Christmas season no longer ended on Epiphany but continued through the octave. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord was eventually placed at the end of the octave . . . and now that is the feast that brings the Christmas season to a close.-Little Blue Book, January 11﻿

﻿The Christmas season officially begins with the evening prayer (Vespers) of Christmas Eve and concludes with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (which is January 11 this year).

Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the Christmas season ended on February 2, which was the feast formerly known as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The council decided to shift the emphasis away from Mary’s purification in order to focus on the presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple (which didn’t have a specific feast day). That is why today February 2 is known as the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.In 1997, Pope John Paul II also dedicated February 2 as the World Day of Consecrated Life, asking religious men and women to renew their religious vows that day.

﻿This past weekend, the Church moved from Ordinary Time to Advent. The word Advent comes from the Latin word advenire, which means “to come." Advent, the 4 weeks before Christmas, is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus at:

Christmas, the feast celebrating the birth and incarnation of Jesus.

His Second Coming, when Jesus will come at the end of time to judge all people; during Advent we focus on how ready we are for the second coming of Christ

All times: Advent gives us time to examine our lives and see how we respond to Jesus Christ's presence in our lives each day

Advent is both a penitential and hopeful season. Just as John the Baptist called people to "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:2) and "Prepare the way of the Lord,make straight his paths" (Matthew 3:3), we are called to prepare our lives for Jesus. We do this by: examining our conscience, expressing sorrow for our sins, praying for forgiveness, receiving the Sacrament of Penance, and practicing acts of kindness and love. Because of this penitential focus, the primary liturgical color for Advent is purple or violet.

However, Advent is not just about expressing sorrow for our sins. Advent is also meant to be a hopeful season. This is why the Third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday, uses the color pink or rose. On this Sunday, we are reminded that Christ's coming is near and we should be filled with joy. Another symbol of hope during the Advent season is the Advent wreath. The green of the wreath represents hope that spring and new life will follow the cold winter months, and the candles represent hope that Christ, "The Light of the World," will come into our lives.

So during this Advent season, take time to prepare your hearts for Jesus!For a brief overview of Advent, take a look at the video below:﻿